Gemotions

The agent's descriptions were a series of provocations. “Spacious living room, ideal for family gatherings.” The living room was now filled with a neutral-colored couch and a flat-screen TV, a sterile landscape where his family’s boisterous laughter and chaotic board game nights had once held court.

He felt the familiar knot in his stomach tighten. He’d thought he was over it, had built a life that had nothing to do with that house, with those people. Now, seeing the shiny new version of it, he felt a sudden, sharp pang of... something. A hollowness.

He threw his phone across the room. It clattered against the wall, but survived the impact.